Fire-escape.



A. F. AMMAN.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ? 1914.

Patented Nov. 2

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT F. AMMAN, OF NAPONEE, NEBRASKA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. AMMAN, citizen of the United States, residing at Naponee, in the county of Franklin and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description and ease of operation which are necessary for the rapid and efiicient rescue of persons in peril in the upper stories of buildings during tlmes of fire.

Where fire escapes are furmshed which are intended for use and operation by individuals in order to rescue themselves from buildings, it is essential that the devices be of such a simple nature, and of such simple operation that even those persons who are laboring under the stress of excitement will find the apparatus easily operated and will be assured by its operation that they may safely descend from the building.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fire escape of the individual type above mentioned which is always in a position for immediate use. That is to say, in the actual use of devices of this kind, it

would prove difficult and a decided'disadvantage if it is necessary to return the movable element upon the supporting cable in case a second party desires to use the fire escape after the descent of a former user. In order to avoid this disadvantage, the carrier is provided of such construction that the whole cable may be reversed,"and when this is done the carrier will still be found in such a position that a succeeding user may immediately descend. Y W1th the above, and other objects which Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed August 17, 1914. Serial No. 857,081.

will hereinafter appear, in view, my invention will be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus in position for use. Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to said drawings, 1 represents a section of a flexible cable of any suitable material which may be coiled and suitably disposed at an inte* rior or exterior point adjacent the window or other opening in a building from which inmates of the building are intended to escape in case of fire.

A pair of substantially identical members 2 form the body of a carriage or carrier which is slidable on the cable 1, each of the members 2 consisting of a comparatively long narrow block of metal, wood, or suitable material, which is provided on one edge or narrow side with a plurality of alternate elevations and depressions giving the side a substantially scalloped or tortuous contour. Following the contour of the tortuous edges of each block 2 is a groove 3 of uniform depth which provides a slideway for the cable 1. When the blocks 2 are contiguously mounted to form the body of the carriage, the elevations of the contoured side of one block coincide with the depressions of the contoured side of the opposite block. Inasmuch as the semi-annularly shaped grooves 3 are formed of uniform depth throughout the lengths of the contoured sides of the blocks, the coincidence of the blocks as above described forms a zig-zag passage-way for the cable 1, the body of the carriage incasing the cable throughout the length of the passage.

The two members 2 are adjustably yoked together by means of brackets or arms 4, links 5 and connecting operating devices. The arms or brackets are rigidly secured to their respective blocks 2 at opposite ends of the carriage, the arms of each block being arranged in pairs which are secured oppo- .site one-another on the faces of the blocks with their pivot points adjacent the points of attachment of the arms or brackets 4, but upon the opposite blocks as' indicated at 6, and extending in substantially parallel relation to saidarms .orbrackets It Will e. noted that the links 5 are pivoted above/and below the upper and lower arms or. brackets .4, respectively. Controlling'or Operating levers 7 are journaled between free ends of, the arms or brackets 4 of each block 2, said levers 7 being provided with bosses 8 at in; termediate points 9. through which shafts or bolts 10 extend for the purpose of pro viding bearings for the levers 7 between the arms, 4; The short arms'of'the levers 7 are 'pivotally' connected to the respectively adjacent. pairs of .-links 5, the bearings" being provided by the passage of bolts or shafts 12 through the bosses 11 and the free ends oflthe links 5, as indicated in Fig. 3.

It will be noted fromthe description thus far given that the opposite ends ofthev carriage are identical inconstruction and that "the two operating levers 7 extend in opposite directions parallel to, and insubstantially'close relation to, the carriage. Equal movement of the free ends of the levers 7,

- saddledevices, which, in the present instance, are represented as straps or yokes 14 which are-adapted to incase the legs 0f the user, each of the straps 14 being removably attached to the rings 13 of that end'of the carriage which at the time is lowermost. Spring clips 15 secured to the yokes or Straps .14 are provided for the removable attachment of the latter to the rings 18.

The ready detachability of the straps or yokes 14:, or whatever otherjsupporting'de vice is used, plays an important part in the successfuloper ation of the present device. Assuming that the carriage has been lower on the cable 1 with an occupant, and that a second person on one of the upper floors of a building desires to use the fire escape, it is unnecessary, with the apparatus constructed according to myv invention, to raise the fire" escape onthe cable. On the other hand, the carriage is allowed to remain on the lower end of the rope or cable, and the whole cable is reversed end for end by hand or in other suitable manner until; the carriage'is thus brought again to the upper -1e'vel,= when' the yoke or straps are detached "from whatis'thenthe upper end oftheca-F riage and snapped in position on the lower 1 end of the carriage, thus bringinginto use i discussion of'its'use is not now deemed necfi ly- V 5 Y It is evident that the present invention 75 Provides a simple and effective emergency rescue apparatus for use by individuals who Y 7 may be caught -in-the upper stories ofa I burning building, and that the device may be compactly and handily locatedin-posi-1 tion for use adjacent agsui'table Window or other ni m which it maybe readily Suspended for use. f I 1, V

so; i,

Having thus described theinvention, what. I

I claim as new, and desire to befse'cured by l 1. A'fire-escape,- comprising 'in combina Letters Patent, is

tion,"a supporting cable, a car-riageconsist- 'ing offbloc'ks inca'sing said" cable and new,

able toward and from the latter to "regulate the grip thereon, and means'for actuating said blocks, said actuating means consisting of levers each-ofjwh ch 1s fulcrumedon one block and linked to the other at one end of the carriage, said levers also extending in I opposite and overlapping relation to permit the operation of eitherend of the-carriage from any part of the latter.

2. A fire-escape, comprising in combination, a supporting cable, a carriage c'onsist ing of blocks incasing said cable and providing' a passage way for the latter,-and means. for moving said blocks toward-and from the cableto regulate the grip on the latter, saidmeans' comprising levers each of. i a

which is fulcrumed on one block and linked to the other at the end of thecarriage, saidlevers also extending substantially alongthe entire sides of said carriage in substantially parallel relation thereto to permit the operation of either end of the carriage fromany part of the latter. I

3. A fire-escape; comprising in combination, a carriageconsisting of oppositely dis-.

posed blocks forming a passage way therebetween, a cable extending through said passage way to permitmovement of the carriage thereon, and actuating means on said carriage for ,7 regulating the grip' 'of said blocks on the cable, said actuating means consisting of a pair of levers, each of" which is fulcrumed adjacentthe end of one block and linkedto the corresponding end of the opposite block, said levers also extendingin I substantialparallelism to each other and to the carriage to permit-the regulationfof the on said cable from endto and; and consists I grip of either end of the-carriage upon the.

' spreading the blocks, hand levers for actuating of oppositely disposed blocks incasing yokes attachable to either end of said carsaid cable and movable toward and from riage.

the latter, identical sets of linked connec- In testimony whereof I affix my signature, tions at opposite ends of the carriage for in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT F. AMMAN. in said linked connections disposed in such Witnesses: re ation as to render the carriage equally ADOLPHAMMAN, operable from either end, and supporting JOHN D. KAW'ELTI.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

